Just a few years ago, one TV news story went viral: a teenager in Washington state was living in the woods with his dog, feeding himself with food stolen from homes and convenience stores.

The young man was identified as Colton Harris-Moore, dubbed the Barefoot Bandit for his shoeless robberies.

His notoriety grew as he outwitted countless police efforts to catch him. And when it was revealed that he escaped in borrowed prop planes that he’d taught himself to fly, his reputation soared. He was chased across the continent until he was finally caught in the Bahamas.

A new documentary called FLY COLT FLY tells his story in a combination of reenactments, animated sequences, news clips, and interviews with the people he met along his journey.

The movie is having its world premier this weekend at the TIFF Next Wave film festival, and opens in theatres on February 21. I speak with the filmmakers, brothers Adam and Andrew Gray, who tell us the saga of trickster, traveller, flyer and folk hero Colton Harris-Moore.